Active range of shoulder mobility exercises are an excellent way to strengthen muscles around a weak joint and restore their functionality, but before beginning any such exercises it is wise to consult with a chiropractor first in order to make sure they are safe and appropriate for you.
Mobility and flexibility are distinct concepts; mobility refers to the ability of tissues to move through their full range of motion while flexibility refers to stretching exercises.
Flexion
Conducting flexion exercises can increase shoulder mobility by expanding the range of motion in your shoulder joint and strengthening its surrounding muscles. They may also assist with posture and alignment issues. A popular form of flexion exercise is the wall angle exercise. This requires standing with back against wall with arms stretched out on either side at 90 degree angles with your shoulders slowly raised until your hips and then back down again – providing an engaging but challenging workout to enhance shoulder mobility.
Child’s pose or prayer stretch is another excellent shoulder mobility exercise, targeting your upper back muscles while challenging the scapulae (shoulder blades) to retract, rotate and shift between positions. This exercise also improves shoulder stability as it expands your reach into different directions.
In general, if your shoulder joint has limited range of motion due to injury or surgery, it’s essential that it undergoes its full movement cycle as soon as possible in order to avoid stiffness and speed up recovery and decrease pain levels. Doing this can prevent stiffness from setting in and help speed up healing time and speed recovery rates.
Active-assisted range-of-motion exercises (AAROM) are often performed after shoulder fractures or surgeries for replacement or tears to protect healing structures in the joint, such as when muscle activation needs to occur to protect healing structures in the joint; typically using devices such as wands, pulleys or pulleys as assistance devices to assist you through safe, effective movements sequences and techniques for these exercises. A physical therapist will guide your movements safely and efficiently during these exercises.
Extension
Shoulder mobility is essential to preserving shoulder joint stability. Allowing free shoulder movement increases blood supply to the joint and allows it to function normally; lack of mobility increases muscle imbalance risk and puts one at increased risk of injury.
Muscle imbalances arise when one group of muscles are stronger than another, due to various causes. These may include improper exercise technique that causes you to train unintended muscles rather than those targeted; and overuse of certain muscle groups which leads to fatigue and eventual weakness.
Shoulder injuries are often due to limited mobility in the joint. When there isn’t sufficient movement in your shoulder, your rotator cuff can overwork itself and damage is done to the joint itself. Strength and flexibility exercises are a great way to increase shoulder mobility.
AAROM exercises are a type of range-of-motion exercise in which movement is achieved solely through muscular action without outside force aiding in its execution. By contrast, passive range-of-motion exercises involve moving a joint with no muscles at all being engaged while an outside force pushes through its full range of motion.
Hold movements and stretches for at least 30 seconds when performing AAROM exercises to build strength for movement and prevent injuries from occurring. Researchers conducted an investigation on various AAROM exercises by comparing muscle activation levels during forward shoulder elevation movements performed by healthy participants during a series of forward shoulder elevation movements; upright active, gravity minimized, assisted-assisted, and assisted-assisted AAROM exercises produced the highest activation levels in anterior deltoid and serratus anterior muscles.
Abduction
Abduction exercises strengthen shoulder joints by building a firm foundation for optimal shoulder movement and improving posture. They’re especially helpful for people experiencing dull ache in their shoulders when performing overhead movements; increasing shoulder range of motion while strengthening rotator cuff muscles increases range of motion and reduces pain/injury risk.
Start by lying on your side with the shoulder that needs to be exercised on top, placing a stick or rolled hand towel between your ribs and elbow, with spacer in between them both. Slowly extend one arm out away from your body towards the ceiling while holding this position for several seconds before returning it slowly back towards your starting point. Repeat as often as desired until desired number of reps have been completed.
For an advanced variation of this exercise, use a resistance band with handles. Start by standing on it, grasping both handles in both hands, slightly leaning forward and lifting arms up to shoulder height with a pause at the top before repeating for your desired number of reps on each side.
“One effective abduction exercise is the lateral lunge. Jump jacking or any exercise which pulls legs or arms out to the sides can also count as abduction exercises,” states Hammond. The more planes of motion you can train on, the better.
Although these movements may be challenging, they’re essential to maintaining healthy shoulders. Combining soft tissue work, dynamic movement, isometric holds in various positions and loaded movements will strengthen healthy shoulder movement and stability while enabling you to perform all of your favorite exercises both inside the gym and beyond.
Internal Rotation
Shoulder mobility is necessary for daily activities like showering, ponytailing hair and reaching items on shelves. Without it, these tasks become harder and more likely to result in injury. A great approach for increasing shoulder mobility would involve soft tissue work, dynamic movements, isometric holds in different positions and loaded movements designed to strengthen healthy shoulder movement and stability.
Subscapularis muscles are responsible for internal rotation of the shoulder joint and are part of the rotator cuff, which provides support and integrity to it. To accurately check internal shoulder rotation, partner up and lie back on a neutral surface; have someone apply firm yet comfortable pressure to the front of your shoulder in order to keep it from raising off of the ground; move your palm down towards the floor; you should aim to bring all your hands all the way down!
If your hand can no longer rotate downward toward the floor, this indicates reduced shoulder mobility and may indicate impingement on your shoulder joint. Common causes include tightness of the posterior capsule around the joint, stiffness in surrounding muscles and poor posture resulting in loss of internal rotation of your shoulder joint.
Your shoulder internal rotation can be enhanced through various hip mobilizations techniques such as the sitting figure 4 stretch and the pigeon stretch. Also consider banded hip openers (attaching large elastic bands to doorknobs and holding one end in each hand). These exercises will stretch your hip adductor muscle while increasing internal rotation.
External Rotation
The infraspinatus and teres minor muscles provide some stability to the shoulder joint when moving. Furthermore, they help avoid subacromial impingement – where structures in the shoulder space become compressed or irritated and cause significant shoulder discomfort – by acting as external rotation muscles that act on these structures. This condition is one major source of shoulder pain.
Studies conducted over an 8-week intervention of low-intensity, slow-movement shoulder external rotation exercises led to significant increases in muscle strength for external rotation compared with control groups and also increased cross-sectional area of infraspinatus muscle. These findings support the hypothesis that selective training with lower intensities may increase strength with minimal risk of injury.
This exercise not only strengthens your infraspinatus and rotator cuff, but it also engages your serratus anterior – an important fan-like muscle on either side of your ribcage that plays an integral role in shoulder movement, particularly protraction – or pulling shoulder blades away from your spine – but can also assist with upward rotation of the scapula, an essential movement for healthy shoulders.
Exercise to help build strength, stability and mobility in your shoulders. However, as with any exercise program, prior to adding these movements into your routine it is wise to consult your healthcare provider first – particularly if you have existing shoulder or upper extremity injuries where AAROM exercises could provide tailored solutions to address them specifically. If any discomfort occurs while performing these movements consult with either your physical therapist or physician as they can guide a safe progression of exercises that suits you personally.
